Pubdate: Thu, 19 Apr 2018
Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
Copyright: 2018 Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Contact: http://www.telegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/509
Author: Cyrus Moulton
REGION'S SECOND MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPENS IN OXFORD
OXFORD - The brand-new computers, minimalist modern decor and iPad
check-in seem more akin to an Apple Store. But the security guard and
the very slight sickly-sweet smell upon entering reveal the true nature
of the new business on Main Street: It's the region's second marijuana
dispensary and it celebrated its grand opening Wednesday.
Curaleaf operates a dispensary in Hanover and a state-of-the-art grow
facility in Webster. It plans to open a third dispensary in
Provincetown at the end of the summer. It opened its roughly
2,000-square-foot dispensary in Oxford on Saturday and held a
ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.
The facility joins Cultivate Holdings Inc., in Leicester, as the only
medical marijuana dispensaries in Central Massachusetts, according to
the Massachusetts Medical Use of Marijuana Program.
It is not the typical business opening on Main Street.
First, it takes two forms of identification to get inside - a
government-issued photo ID and a medical marijuana ID card - both
checked by a security guard and a receptionist.
Patients are allotted 10 ounces of marijuana every 60 days (although
most come to pick up only an eighth of an ounce or an ounce at a time,
Ms. O'Brien said) and an employee ensures that the patient is eligible
to pick up their allotment before letting them into the facility.
Then the facility becomes like a doctor's office.
New patients fill out paperwork in a small waiting room, receiving
information about cannabis, then proceed into a private consultation
room, where they discuss their medical needs and treatment options.
"We make sure that any patient, regardless of their past experience,
doesn't have any questions about what they are using," Ms. O'Brien said.
A follow-up call several days later ensures that patients' questions
are answered and feedback on the patient experience is received, Ms.
O'Brien said.
Oxford Selectman John G. Saad praised Curaleaf for negotiating a
community host agreement that he said devotes a percentage of sales to
the town and involves the business in community activities. He also
was impressed with the business' renovation of a building that he said
had been an eyesore.
Ms. O'Brien said Curaleaf also is applying for a recreational
marijuana license for the Oxford facility, and was working with town
officials to ensure that zoning regulations going before town meeting
would accommodate the business.
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MAP posted-by: Matt